


The Night Before (Life Goes On)

by perfectromanceinmymind



Series: Canon Compliant Samcedes Headcanons [8]
Category: Glee
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26625346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectromanceinmymind/pseuds/perfectromanceinmymind
Summary: "They've been dreadin' this moment all summer long…" Sam and Mercedes spend their last evening together before she leaves for LA in August of 2012.
Relationships: Sam Evans/Mercedes Jones
Series: Canon Compliant Samcedes Headcanons [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906393
Kudos: 5





	The Night Before (Life Goes On)

**Author's Note:**

> As I've fallen back down the Glee/Samcedes rabbit hole this summer, I've been obsessively encountering songs that make me think of many various points in Samcedes history. I've got a whole list of song inspired fics that I want write and well, I guess I'm feeling angsty tonight. This one is inspired by the Carrie Underwood song of the same name and parts of it are blatant rip-offs of the lyrics, but it's a beautiful song and I encourage you to take a listen if you're not familiar. Hope you enjoy - so to speak.

_They've been dreadin' this moment all summer long…_ _  
_ _But here it is - they don't have long…_ _  
_ _The night before, life goes on…_

**August 2012**

Mercedes shivered a little – despite being August, there was the tiniest chill in the summer evening.

Sam shifted in the porch swing beside her, pulling off the flannel button-down he wore over his t-shirt and draping it around her shoulders. She leaned forward a little so he could smooth it down behind her. He put his arm back around her and she leaned into his side as he pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Sam –" she started to speak and then stopped. What else was there to say at this point? She could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes and Sam must have heard them in her voice, because he stood up and grabbed her hand, tugging her to her feet.

"C'mon," he said, "let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?" she asked, confused, shoving her arms into the sleeves of his shirt as she followed him down the front sidewalk.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Anywhere – everywhere."

She nodded as if she understood what he meant. She did and she didn't. "Okay," she said and got in the truck after he opened the door for her, the beat-up old truck that Burt had helped him buy when he first moved back there the previous fall.

He went around to the driver's side and got in and started the car, pulling out of the driveway and just driving, aimlessly.

She swiped at the tears on her face with her hand and then used the sleeve of his shirt – it hung just a little long on her arms – to dab at her eyes.

He caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and glanced over, reaching for her hand. She let him take it, even though she didn't totally love it when he drove with just one hand on the wheel. He knew that, though, and after squeezing it gently, he let her hand go.

Eventually, somehow, they wound up at McKinley, parked in the empty lot in front of the auditorium entrance, and he cut the engine. They sat in silence for a few minutes before he hit the steering wheel and muttered, "Damnit, this isn't fair."

"Sam – "

"I hate summer ending. Two years in a row now, summer's ending and so are we. It sucks."

She nodded, fully crying now and he pushed the armrest up so he could slide across the seat and put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," he said quietly and Mercedes laughed shakily.

"I think it was a given I was gonna cry tonight." She took a deep breath. "You know I don't _want_ us to end either. I just – "

"I know," Sam said. "You think we need to break up."

She nodded, looking miserable but determined. They'd been discussing it all summer, the fact that once again their relationship had an expiration date.

"It's your senior year, Sam. You don't need to be tied down to someone two thousand miles away."

He nodded. "I know. And you need to be able to live your grown-up life, not tied to a high school boy."

"Sam, I never said that."

He had the grace to look sheepish. "I know. I'm being a brat. I just – growing up sucks."

"It's hard, yeah. And this definitely sucks. But Sam – I have faith in us, in the universe. Right now isn't our time, but it might still be one day."

"Let's get married."

She smiled. "Maybe one day we will."

"No. I mean now, let's get married."

"Sam."

"I'm serious – I'll just get my GED and come to LA with you. I can be a house husband."

"Sam, honey – we talked about this last year when you moved to Kentucky. We couldn't get married then and we can't get married now."

He slumped back against the truck's seat. "I know. You're right."

She smiled and reached over to caress his cheek. "Keep saying that and you will make a good husband one day."

He cracked a smile at that, putting his hand over hers. "Ha."

They sat quietly, holding hands, his thumb rubbing hers for a few minutes.

Finally, Sam broke the silence. "I love you, Mercedes."

She squeezed his hand. "I love you too, Sam. Enough to let you go," she managed to say before the tears started again and then she was in Sam's arms again and he was crying too, their tears mingling as he kissed her breathless.

They broke apart, catching their breath and Sam glanced at his watch - it was late. "I better get you home."

She nodded as he started the car and then reached for her hand and this time she didn't worry about him driving one-handed and just enjoyed holding his hand for the last time – certainly for a while, maybe forever – who knew?

It seemed like way too short a time before they were in front of her house and Sam was kissing her one more time and finally she was stepping out of the truck and heading inside. She was halfway up the stairs to her room before she realized she still had his shirt on. Well, she wasn't giving it back and she suspected that he'd have told her to keep it if she'd realized sooner anyway.

She wasn't wrong.


End file.
